Clasp



June 13, 1939. P. L. WOOD 2,162,466

CLASP Filed Oct. l5 1937 IN ENTOR.

, Paray Z.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 13, 1939 CLASP Percy L. Wood, Attleboro, Mass assignor toSwank Products, Inc., a corporation of Delaware ' Application October15, 1937, Serial No. 169,107

'2 Claims. (01. 24-251) This invention relates to a clasp of a typeparticularly adapted for use in connection with suspenders, garters, orother articles of wearing apparel to be supported by a pull on the partwhich is attached to the clasp; and the invention has for one of itsobjects to provide a simple but effective clamping device which has avery strong grip and will be urged into firmer gripping relation byreason. of tension thereon tending to detach it from the part which itengages.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clasp which willbe effective to grip widely different thicknesses of material withoutbeing bent out of shape.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a clasp providing apair of jaws which will be under control at all times by a simplelocking member, the locking member controlling the opening as wellas theclosing of the clasp.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction which mayomit a spring for moving the jaws into open position with a lockingmember for moving them to closed position and the utilization of alocking member for accomplishing not only its closing function but alsoan opening function which the spring previously performed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the clasp with the locking member in aposition between open and closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the jaws in locked position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l with the parts moved to cause thejaws to be in open position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the arrangement of the parts as shown inFig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the arrangement of the parts as in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the jaws;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the other of the jaws;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the locking member.

Clasps of this general character usually have a spring in addition tothe parts which I have illustrated in Figures 6, '7 and 8 for moving thejaws to an open position as is more fully illustrated in Patent No.1,997,425, dated April 9, 1935, and I have found that I may byre-arranging the construction do away with a spring in such device andthus eliminate the necessity of providing a slot in the locking memberfor the spring thereby enabling the locking member to perform all of thefunction necessary in the device which the spring previously performedand serve to better control the movement of the jaws to and from closedposition; and the following is a more detailed description of thepresent embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred meansby which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

With reference to the drawing, l0 designates one of the jaws whichcomprises a sheet metal plate II with side walls l2 and a locking lipi3. The other jaw l4 also consists of a sheet stock metal portion ISwith side walls l6 and a locking lip l1. Enlargements I8 on the jaws l0and I9 on the jaw M are provided with openings 20 and 2| for thereception of a pivot pin 22 to pivotally relate the jaws l0 and 14 withthe side walls [6 telescoping within the side walls I2 when in thispivoted position. These jaws are freely rockable relative to each otherabout the pivot pin 22.

The control and locking member 23 is shown in perspective in Fig. 8 andconsists of a part 24 which is of a size to slide within and be guidedby the side walls l2 at their ends 25, while a further guide is providedby shoulders 26 struck up in the plate H and receiving an offset portion21 in the sliding part 24 to assist in controlling the sliding movementof this part on the jaw in in its movement relative thereto. The end ofthis sliding part 24 is rolled over backwardly as at 28 to provide a camformation having an apex portion 29 and stiffening ribs 30 are providedupon this folded back portion by raising the stock therefrom which serveto contact at this apex location the inner surface 3| of the other jawl4 and move along this surface from a point perpendicular with the pivotto either side of the pivot toward either ends of the jaws to controlthe relative position of the jaws, this cam portion being of sheet stockand stifiened as illustrated is resilient and serves to maintain a firmcontact with the jaws in substantially all positions of its movement.This locking member is enlarged as at 32 into an attaching portion whichis slotted as at 33 so as to receive the bight or loop of a Suspender orthe like which it is desired shall be attached to trousers or the like.

In assembly, the locking member is placed within the channel of the jawID and then the jaw I4 is placed in position and a pin passed throughthe openings 20, 2| and is riveted in position, the cam formation beingopen at its free end receives the pivot pin into its bight or foldedportion, as shown in Fig. 4, when the lock ing member is pulledoutwardly with reference to the jaws so that the apex portion 29 will byreason of its engagement with the upper or outer end of the jaws causetheir lip ends l3 and I! to move toward each other into binding relationand be maintained in this position by the spring of the stock of the camformation and any pull tending to move the locking member outwardlyserves to move the jaws into firmer binding relation.

If release of the parts is desired it is merely necessary to slacken thetension on the locking member 23 and slide it toward the lips l3 and I1whereby the cam formation will move into line with the pivot releasingits gripping tension and then upon movement to the other side of thepivot, as shown in Fig. 5, will positively open the jaws and maintainthem in open position, as shown in Fig. 5, ready for the reception of agrip on another part. The maintenance of the laws in both open andclosed'position is under the control of the resilient action of the camformation which serves not only to control these jaws in both positionsof movement but actually influences them resiliently toward bothpositions.

The attaching member 32 has its shoulder portions 35 in such positionrelative to the length of the slide or shank portion 24 as to form alimit for the inward movement of the slide as is shown in Fig. 5, sothat the jaws move to a position just short of contact between the end36 of the jaw 14 with this sliding member 23.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the constructionillustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve theprivilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the deviceis susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by theterms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clasp comprising a pair of jaw members pivoted togetherintermediate their ends, a looking member having a part slidable uponthe inner surface of one jaw member, and a resilient cam formation witha contact portion slidably engaging the inner surface of the other jawmember, limiting means on said locking member permitting the oam to movefrom a position where said contact portion is in perpendicular alignmentwith the pivot and jaws to a position toward either end of the jaws tothereby move the jaws to open or closed position about said pivot point,said resilient cam formation flexing as it is moved toward and from saidpivot to compensate for different distances between said contact portionand slide portion and maintaining firm engagement against said jaws atall positions of movement to keep the jaws under control.

2. A clasp comprising a pair of jaw members pivoted togetherintermediate their ends, one of said jaws providing side lips, a lockingmember having a part slidable upon the inner surface of the lipped jawmember and guided by said lips, and a resilient cam formation with acontact portion slidably engaging the inner surface of the other jawmember, limiting means on said looking member permitting the cam to movefrom a position where said contact portion is in perpendicular alignmentwith the pivot and jaws to a position toward either end of the jaws tothereby move the jaws to open or closed position about. said pivotpoint, said resilient cam formation fiex-- ing as it is moved toward andfrom said pivot to compensate for different distances between saidcontact portion and slide portion and maintaining firm engagementagainst said jaws at all positions of movement to keep the jaws undercontrol, said cam being the only means for moving said jaws to openposition.

PERCY L. WOOD.

